ApnaMotihari Website

The district of East Champaran (Headquarter:Motihari) has already registered
his indelible remark in historic pages of Indian national movement. Established
in year 1866, the Champaran district got bifurcated in two parts. Named as Purbi
Champaran (East Champaran) and Paschimi Champaran (West Champaran) on 1st December
1971. In early days the land of East Chamapran was ruled by different kingdoms as
Videha,Sunga,Kanvas. But it was “Champaran Satyagrah” which gave a worldwide recognition
to this place. Two eminent personality related to motihari are Mahatama Gandhi and
George Orwell. One was well renowned for his pretty lethal weapon “AHINSA” (NON
Violence) where as other used his pen against social injustice and totalitarianism.

Mahtama Gandhi

Name

Date of Birth

Place of Birth

Died

Education

Known for

Spouse

Children

Signature

Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi

02 October 1869

Porbandar, Gujrat

30 January 1948

University College London

Freedom Fighter

Kasturba Gandhi

Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas, Devdas

BAPU Father of our nation while his visit to Champaran on request of Raj kumar Shukla
(A farmer belonging to land of East Champaran), got impetus to start a movement
against the dictatorship of British government. Those days the farmers of East Champaran
were coerced to sow AFEEM (opium) and NEEL (indigo)on certain portion of their farms
so that British government can make money out of it. These crops make the agricultural
land infertile. Also British government was not paying enough money to the farmers
and so the plight of farmers became worse with time. Fed up with this system , one
of the farmer named Raj Kumar shukla invited Bapu to have a visit to their place
and help them in extirpating this law to make their life better. To ameliorate the
condition of these indenture farmers of Chamapran, BAPU visited Motihari on 10th
April 1917. If we go by the report of AICC (All India congress committee) a huge
mass has greeted him in his mission to get INDIPENDENCE and make INDIA free of BRITISH
rules. The plight of these farmers made BAPU to start a historic movement named
CHAMPARAN SATYAGRAH.

In spite of getting threatening messages from British government BAPU kept this
movement alive and accepted the imprisonment. Respecting the summon , he appeared
in court of Sub divisional magistrate of Motihari on 8th April 1917. There he avowed
not to obey the Rules imposed by BRITISH govt. He also visited West champaran (Bettiah)
on 22nd April 1917. It was the people of whole Champaran who participated in this
movement to make it successful and that’s how this place got registered in the pages
of Indian National movement. Besides non co-operation movement, demonstration against
SIMON commission in year 1929, gathering in Motihari against the failure of Round
table conference to pledge for Indian Independence are some more historic events
related to this place.

Facts about Mahatma Gandhi

1888-1891: Studied law in London 1893: Sailed for South Africa
1906: Began Satyagraha campaign in South Africa to protest the requirement that
Indians be fingerprinted and carry identification cards
1915: Returned to India from South Africa
1917: Initiated Champaran Satyagraha to alleviate the condition of indigo planters
1919: Instituted Satyagraha campaign in India to protest the Rowlatt Acts, which
deprived all Indians of important civil liberties.
1922: Ended Non-Cooperation movement against British Raj after his followers were
involved in a series of riots and disturbances that violated his policy of nonviolence
1930: Led Dandi March to collect salt in protest of the British salt tax.
1931: Signed a pact with Lord Irwin to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement and
went to London to attend Round Table Conference.
1932: Fasted to protest the treatment of people who belonged to no Hindu caste,
the Harijans or Untouchables
1942: Launched Quit India Movement against British Raj. January 30, 1948: Assassinated
by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist.

Moving Ahead , The next person in the row is George Orwell. George Orwell(Real name
Eric Arthur Blair , 25 June, 1903 – 21 January, 1950) was well known for his cognitive
approach to social injustice, intense opposition to totalitarianism. Clarity in
expressing was one of his forte. Born on 25 June 1903 in Motihari, (Belongs
to Bengal presidency in British ruled INDIA) describe his family as “Lower-upper-middle
class”. His father Richard Walmesley Blair was working in in the Opium Department
of the Indian Civil Service. His mother name was Ida Mabel Blair. He had two sisters
named Marjorie(5 year older) and Avril,( 5 years younger). When he was only one
year old, his mother took him to England Some novels written by Geroge Orwell: Burmese
Days (1934) • A Clergyman's Daughter (1935) • Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936)
• Coming Up for Air (1939) • Animal Farm (1945) • Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) Some
Essays written by George Orwell: The Spike (1931) • A Hanging (1931) • Shooting
an Elephant (1936) • Inside the Whale (1940) • Boys' Weeklies (1940) • The Lion
and The Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius (1941)